Saturday, 10 February 2018

OPPOSITION People’s Democratic Party leader and MDC Alliance
principal Tendai Biti has warned that Zimbabweans should
brace for violent polls this year as the military will be desperate to
remain in control of the levers of power.

Biti also warned that the November 15 military intervention which
toppled former President Robert Mugabe would be reproduced in future as
had been the case in many African countries where soldiers staged coups.The former Finance minister made the claims while speaking at a panel
discussion on elections and transparency at Sapes Trust in Harare on
Thursday evening.Biti said he was certain the military-backed Zanu PF government would
use violence to retain State power, urging the international community
to ratchet up pressure on the military to make a declaration that it
would ensure the security of the vote in this year’s elections.He said the forthcoming elections were a “do-or-die” for the military
who had hoped to win votes through transforming the economy the same
way Rwandan President Paul Kagame was doing, and failure on the economic
front would force the military to use violence to protect its power.“The issue of violence is going to be a factor in this election. The
military did not plan this coup in order to lose power in July or August
2018,” Biti said.“They have been marrying designer wives; they have been sending
themselves to school. There are now more per capita PhDs in the army
than anywhere else.“And they were not getting those PhDs in order to get a job at Econet
or Delta Corporation. They were getting those degrees in order to lay
their hands on the State. So, this is going to be a fight of our lives. I
have absolutely no doubt in my mind that this is going to be a violent
election.”

But acting Information minister and Zanu PF spokesperson Simon Khaya
Moyo dismissed Biti’s claims, saying elections were for political
parties, and not the military.“What blood is he talking about? The President is on record saying he
wants free and fair elections. I don’t know the military as a party.
This is an election for political parties, not the military, and it is
perplexing why he is thinking in that manner,” Khaya Moyo told NewsDay
yesterday.Biti, however, also said Mnangagwa’s campaign was now anchored on the
economy, invading the territory long held by the opposition making this
year’s elections a battle of ideas which the opposition should win at
all cost or risk 20 years under military rule.“They [Zanu PF] are trying to postpone elections so that they have
time to fix the economy as is the situation in Rwanda. I worked with
them when I was in government and I can tell you, there is no Kagame in
that party,” he said.Biti, whose party is a member of the MDC Alliance, an electoral pact
of seven political parties, said the military should be confronted over
its involvement in civilian matters to avoid a repeat of coups in
future.“There is nothing that will stop the tanks from moving again no
matter who has been elected in July 2018. So, it is critical that we
find an answer to making sure that the barracks remain sealed off from
interfering with the process because that’s the elephant in the living
room.”He said the forthcoming elections would be merely academic if the November 2017 issue was not resolved.

“This means calling for introspection on what happened and why it
happened and working on ways to make sure it won’t happen again,” Biti
said.The PDP leader said the military should first undo a statement by the
late former Commander of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces General Vitalis
Zvinavashe that the military would not accept victory by certain
individuals and stop viewing threats to Zanu PF as threats to the
country.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa and the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission
have already promised the polls will be free, fair and credible. Newsday